‘Eliminate Khamenei’: says Israeli official as Iran seeks revenge for Nasrallah and Haniyeh deaths

Iran-Israel War: After an Israeli bunker buster bomb killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah last week, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was shifted to a ‘safe space’. Khamenei continues to be in the “safe location” following Tuesday's Iranian missile strike targeting Israel's defences. 

Fears of all-out war grapple the Middle East, and calls to ‘eliminate figures like Khamenei’ have erupted in Israeli military ranks.

Speculations of Khamenei as Israel's Next Target

Growing speculation suggests that Khamenei could be the next target of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

An Israeli military official, speaking to The Jerusalem Post, asserted that eliminating Iran's Supreme Leader should be a key objective. “We should expect to strike government centres and possibly eliminate figures like Khamenei,” the officer stated.

The senior security official emphasized the urgency of swift action, claiming that Khamenei ordered the missile attack and is actively seeking to destabilize the region while pursuing nuclear capabilities.

“Khamenei wants a conventional attack and is seeking backing for nuclear weapons. Israel must destroy Iran’s nuclear sites now,” he declared.

Netanyahu's Warning of Retaliation to Iran

In response to the Iranian missile strikes on Israel, which saw nearly 200 missiles launched at Israeli defence installations, Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered a stern warning. “Iran made a big mistake tonight and will pay for it,” he said. “Whoever attacks us, we attack them.”

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, monitoring missile interceptions from the command centre, also vowed revenge. “Iran has not learned a simple lesson—those who attack the state of Israel pay a heavy price,” he stated.

Notably, a 50-foot crater was discovered near the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv after the Iranian missile attack on Israel.

Background of the Iran-Israel Attacks

Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced that the missile assault was a retaliation for Israel's recent killings of Hezbollah’s Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a bombing in Tehran in July 2024.

Iran seeks vengeance

According to a Reuters report, banners and newspaper headlines in Iran vow vengeance against Israel for its assaults on Iranian assets across the region, and a 30-foot missile on display in front of a picture of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei points skyward.